A Welsh family have spent £8,000 on an abandoned home in Bulgaria without viewing it in person, in a quest to become ‘mortgage free’.
Maxwell, 38, and Leah Jones, aged 29, expressed their desire to avoid the burden of a 25-year mortgage in the UK. They shared their aspiration of achieving a self-sufficient lifestyle.
The couple invested in a three-bedroom house in Popovo, Bulgaria in January 2025. This property came at a more affordable price compared to similar-sized residences in Prestatyn, Wales, which are valued at approximately £300,000.
Joiner and landscaper Maxwell and Leah, who works in health and social care, flew out in May and are set to move out to at the end of the year.
They say if you were to live on a ‘stringent budget’ it only cost their family-of-four £300 a month in Bulgaria or £680 for a ‘comfortable month’.
This is in comparison to their current £680 monthly rent, up to £200 weekly food shop, and £250 a month they pay for electric and gas.
They estimate it will cost them £15k to £20k to bring the home up to scratch.
Maxwell said: ‘It was exactly like it looked online.
Welsh couple Maxwell and Leah Jones with their two kids – Lorenzo and Indy
The couple’s family home in Prestatyn, Wales, which they are leaving behind for a new life overseas
The couple have decided to live mortgage-free in their £8,000 Bulgaria home
The inside of the house in Bulgaria which the couple purchased without even viewing
A barn at the property in Popovo, Bulgaria, which the couple have purchased for £8,000
‘Now we’re mortgage-free. There is a lot to do – it’s a shell but we are up for a challenge.’
Maxwell and Leah like to live ‘alternatively’ and already homeschool their two children- Lorenzo, two, and Indy, nine.
They eat organically and even make their own toothpaste.
They have always dreamed of living self-sufficiently and started to realise this wasn’t affordable to do in the UK.
Maxwell and Leah started looking at properties Bulgaria just before Christmas 2024 after seeing others do the same on social media.
Maxwell said: ‘We were due to buy a house in the UK but it became hard to put all this money out and still be paying it off for 25 years.
‘We looked at the price in Bulgaria and it became a no brainer.’
They found a property online they liked and put an offer in – paying for it in January 2025.
Maxwell and Leah like to live ‘alternatively’ and already homeschool their two kids and make their own toothpaste
The house has a dilapidated barn on the property, which Maxwell hopes to stream live DJ sets from
The bathroom at the £8,000 home in Popovo, Bulgaria
The home has three bedrooms and a barn – which Maxwell hopes he will be able to do livestream DJ sets from.
He will fly out in two months to re-wire the home before the rest of his family join towards the end of this year.
They don’t have a set budget or timescale for the renovation – and don’t feel any pressure for it to look like a ‘showhome’.
Leah said: ‘We want to try and get away from this idea that it has to be an aesthetically pleasing home.’
Maxwell added: ‘If the kids help out with painting and there are a few brush strokes on the skirting board – that’s OK.
‘It will be an ongoing project – it might take years.’
The couple also have plans to transform their garden so they can grow their own fruit and vegetables and keep their own animals.
They say the cost of living in Bulgaria is a ‘lot cheaper’ and the weather and pace of life also attracted them to the country.
Maxwell said: ‘Our neighbour says he pays £15 to £20 a month for electric.
‘We pay about £3,000 a year for electric and gas in the UK. Council tax is only £25 a year.
‘We estimated you could get by on about £300 to £400 a month in Bulgaria – on a stringent budget.
‘The cost of our rent – £680 – will be everything you need in Bulgaria for a comfortable month there.’
Maxwell admitted the home is an ‘ongoing property’ which could take years to finish
Mark is set to re-wire the home before the rest of his family join him towards the end of this year
A room inside the property, a small sink is the only fixture or furniture pictures
The couple bought the property in their quest to live mortgage-free. Pictured: The overgrown garden at the property
Maxwell says they are lucky that they can work remotely – as he has just launched a wellness supplement brand – which has helped them secure visa’s.
Maxwell said: ‘Breaking from the norm – as scary as it is it can be rewarding.
‘In Bulgaria the kids are playing out all day.
‘In this country kids are striving for that next toy or app – it’s constant dopamine hits.
‘We want to keep a creative space in our children.’
